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Sunday, 28 April 2013

28th April 1933 - Mary to Terrick

Saunton

Christchurch Road

East Sheen

S.W.14

Friday evening 7.45

- Have just gorged much-needed meal & feel fabulously full & satisfyingly sound.The twins have partaken themselves off in car to posh dance at Empress Rooms (I'm sure their hostess can't have known I existed!) Mums & Mr Lingwood are playing patience while waiting for Grannie for bridge and Flip is lying on couch imbibing knowledge from the National Geographic Magazine - Mitchell, I believe is washing up and our nine one day old chickens have departed to bed down the garden. - The whole of the large suburban family having been accounted for I may tell you that in a minute I am repairing to dining-room to paint Grannie's birthday present - so you'll have to wait a bit.Thank you very much for the p.c. - I'm not sure the person who gave you such a 'little boy' face was being altogether kind. It's so very misleading and therefore not quite fair to yourself.Grannie has arrived and gone and I have spent 3 hours painting one lampshade - heaven only knows when I shall the the other one done.The Treasure Hunt last Sunday was quite fun but rather too much on the same roads all the time - I'll enclose the clues if I remember - they're worth looking at. N & I were appallingly slow in the morning, having spent an hour and a half on first clue which was the hospital - a decidedly tallyellow building! I think Mums must be a bit colour blind - & also we were searching for a "railway" high in front, instead of "railing"! However in the afternoon we won easily - have you ever seen the "Silent Pool" near Newlands Corner? It's simply perfect if you go on a week-day.Last Saturday I went for the nicest drive I've ever been practially, in Mervyn Sprague's new M.G. (thank heavens it hadn't been run in !) We had tea at the Watermill between Dorking & Reigate - built after the style of the Clock House at Welwyn - gorgeous swimming bath for summer - I'm going again when it's warm enough - it would be lovely just to bathe & then go straight in to tea.Mums & Mr Hodson have spent this week touring Devon in the car looking for a farm-house & camping place for family holiday - they're going for three weeks in August with Lingwoods, while Jack is in Hungary. They don't know who to push me on to for that extent of time - possibly Grannie, unless I fit in my hols then too. Norah & I have suggested a cruise - just for a change - but I can't help thinking of the waste of good lucre if I was sea-sick all the time! - I should demand my money back - like rain at Mentone!- I'm not going to Aberystwyth now- except to spend Whitsun there I think - I'm reallyhonestly going to try & work up for my L.R.A.M. in elocution & then teach it - like Elizabeth. It's one of the things I should like to do best - but my one greatgreat dread is that my enthusiasm will wane - you see, it's going to be such a beastly long job - and I get tired of a thing so quickly - it's laziness & inertia really - But, you keep on chatechizing (sic) me as to how far I've got - will you ? - Because I'm always starting to do something big with every sign of keenness - & then just get tired of not getting there & forget all about it - But this really may be a means of escaping from the office - so I simply mustmust stick it.I had a nice letter from LOCH (Drama League) last week, saying they hoped a chance would arise for me to play for them during the cuoming season! - but I expect they write that to everybody.N & I saw George Arliss in a King's Vacation last Wednesday - story rotten- but I'd like him in anything - we saw a most gorgeous flap-jack (flat powder compact) afterwards in a shop window _ & I said "oh I do like that" - so she said "Do you? - come in & I'll get it for you"! - So I've got it and have spent 3 days powdering my nose before friends & relations! She is the trumpest of things - & yet sometimes she worries me to distraction.- Well, it's about 12 o/c & I've got to be up early tomorrow - Katie has the morning off!Love Mary

Saturday Morn 12.30

Held up at office, owing to simply teaming rain. Jack & I, of course, have donned summer hats and no coats for first time & I didn't even dream of an umbrella! Mr Allen says "oh no, Miss Ormiston, you must certainly wait until it gives over & then take 'the car' from outside the door" (He always calls a tram 'the car', much to my annoyance).

I've had a frightfully busy, rushy-about morning, but have thoroughly enjoyed it - owing, I expect, to absence of Miss Phillips - (rain stopped - thunderstorm starting - will make a dash for 'car' & finish this later!)

Afternoon

have just washed, changed, 'painted my face & dried my hair' & sat down once more - I really must begin to wind this up - I fear it's rather disjointed in composition.

Mums & I are busy planning a dance-party for my birthday - it'll probably be either May 13th or 20th - can't you possibly wangle getting home by then? - oh - you must - being 19 might change me such a lot that you wouldn't recognise me - I wonder if anything outstanding will happen to me during my 20th year. - I don't think I'd mind going back 19 years, a bit! - although if I did I should probably attempt a Poly holiday a little earlier in life.

I see the P.T.A. have got a whole page advert in the Daily Mirror! - Horrors - sposing Katie decided to go on the same one as us!

I liked hearing about no II Temptation - you ought to consider yourself jolly lucky if that really was only no II - or is it only exceptionally bad ones that you call "temptations" now? You wait, my lad, one day she'll really come along and you'll go completely batty & lose your memory! - I know this sounds ungrateful after your hard fight - but I know you're as human as I am - & I'm sureI shall one day. i.e. I shan't forget all about you (somewhat naturally!) - but we shall be able to discuss these with each other without first wondering what the other's thinking.

- When your last letter arrive I really thought it was about time to clear out my desk & scrap a few. I turned out everything & every blessed way I turned there was another from you - about 23 post-cards - & masses & masses of letters - so I sent through them all simply roaring over some of the things you'd put - & all all the specially nice pages I tore off & kept for future reference - I expect you'd be surprised if you saw all I've kept. Altogether I scrapped 84 pages !!! & kept about 6 whole letters & 16 pages & all the postcards - and they extend over a period of 5 months (with 3 exceptions I think).

Isn't it disgraceful? - but it's six to one and half a dozen to the other - & I love it!

- Oh, heavens I must stop - I've just had 4 sets of tennis at my new club - awful, dreadful, rotten - I didn't sent one ball over decently.